


His Best Quality: His Wiggles

by Mad_Madame_Mim



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Fluffy dads are good for the soul, He also wants to see how red he can make Janus, He shimmy, Look I just finished my Finals and needed to write blushing Janus, M/M, Moceit - Freeform, Patton in a skirt, Patton knows he's cute, Patton wants to make people feel happy about themselves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28189347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mad_Madame_Mim/pseuds/Mad_Madame_Mim
Summary: Patton wants Janus' opinion on his new skirt.Janus has a lot of opinions.
Relationships: Deceit | Janus Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	His Best Quality: His Wiggles

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not dead!!!
> 
> This year hit like a literal truck, with medical, school and estate issues every day. Finals are over and I am taking the chance to post soft Moceit because I CAN. <3
> 
> Mimsy is a FWEE ELF.

It was a lazy winter's day. Which, in Florida, meant 75 degrees and humidity. Still, Janus was enjoying a nice sunny spot near the window, carefully ignoring Roman outside bemoaning how the humidity caused his hair to poof, and his brother trying to "helpfully" gel it down with what looked suspiciously like pond scum. Logan was busily yammering at Thomas about putting on sunscreen, which their host steadily ignored until Virgil made him imagine Nico seeing him all blotchy and red. But of course, Janus wasn't paying any attention to all that. Even if his window was facing the commotion, all he was doing was sunning himself while deciding on particularly evil phrases and shadow puppets to add to the Patreon site.

Patton had suggested the shadow puppets.

Speaking of the Moral Side, Patton was, surprisingly, not outside with everyone else. Instead, he bustled around the livingroom. Humming, he was folding laundry, and obviously searching for something in particular from the light loads. Especially amongst the khakis.

"Not that I'm curious, but did you leave something in the wash?" They were imaginary representatives of portions of Thomas, but that didn't mean the Deceitful Side couldn't ~~make sure Patton found whatever it was safe and sound~~ mockingly remind the other Side that they could just magic all items to be fine and dandy. But Patton didn't look worried in the slightest. "Nope! Just looking for something new I got for myself." If Janus didn't know better, he'd think Patton had smirked a bit at saying that.

Janus didn't close the laptop he was holding. "Is it another apron?" The last one had been for Roman, and no one had been able to explain to Patton why they'd snickered at the words "Kingly Cakes" on reading them, including Remus. Janus had ended up with a cramp in his silencing hand that day, he could swear.

"Not this time," Patton chirped. "I wanted to get something a little... Daring." His voice pitched lower, like a child excited to play a prank or when he was planning to get a second cookie.

A single slit eye trailed up in anything but curiosity as Patton let out a partly stifled woop of excitement, scooping up what looked like a small pair of khaki shorts with... Straps? Oh no. Had Remus given him lederhosen for Halloween? The answer to that, surprisingly, was no.

Instead, Patton moved away from the window, face a mischievous little grin, still clutching the item. "I'm really excited but also nervous-about-this. I-don't-know-how-everyone-will-react. It's-really-nice-looking-though-so-I-want-your-opinion-"

Janus raised a gloved hand to stifle the torrent of words. "I feel no need to remind you to breathe, or that I'm absolutely _awful_ at keeping secrets for _years,_ and thus won't tell unless you want me to do so." Totally not in response to his words the blinds shifted to hide the front yard from view and the shrieking of the twins as Remus inevitably "helped" his brother out with his hair.

The tenderhearted smile in response to his fibbing did not make his cold-blooded heart lodge in his throat. No sirree.

Thankfully, the excited Side did take a breath, which slowed the mile per minute speech down, a tad. That smile also stayed in place, Janus was unhappy ~~delighted~~ to say. The laptop had already gone into sleep mode on his lap, screen dark and forgotten.

"Sssooo what did you get?" He finally provoked, carefully. For a brief moment he worried the rapid-fire speech would return, but instead Patton just seemed to burst from the seams with excitement the moment he felt he was safe. "It's a skirt!" He said in hushed exuberance, eyes squinting behind his glasses as he bounced on his heels.

God damn it he was adorable. Janus couldn't even think to lie in the face of that smile. Nor could he quite deny the warm feeling, like summer sun on his scales, when he realized that Patton had trusted him just now...

"Did you already show the others, or... Whom do you want this hidden from?" And why? he wanted to add, but that wasn't his job, was it? He hid things if people ~~Thomas~~ wanted them hidden. He didn't try to push to reveal more than what was wanted... Patton switched from joyful to unsure in a heartbeat, wringing the straps on the skirt as he seemed to try to find the words to explain what he wanted. "I haven't shown anyone yet. I think... I think I want to, just… I want to do it right.” His voice became stronger, more assured. “So many kiddos out there don't have supportive families or people who understand them. I can't adopt all of them -the house wouldn't fit all of them- but if I can show that clothing doesn't define who you are and you can wear whatever makes you happy, that would be good, right?”

Liquid brown eyes caught his, as if he could push the emotions that had made his decision into Janus’ skull. “I'm sorry,” he stuttered when Janus didn’t answer, immediately. “Words are still hard..."

Janus blinked his human eye once, twice and again, forcefully holding in the near violent need to wrap as many arms around the Moral Side as possible and continue to sit in one damn space and NOT to feel like his heart had grown three sizes that day. What the _8 bit coin_ , Patton how do you _do_ that?

After the unnaturally fluffy reaction had been tamped down behind a wall of hating society and smirks, Janus only asked, "Shouldn't you show Roman, first? He's more the fashion expert." Roman would be perfect to speak to, as well. He’d be able to boost Patton’s self-confidence.

"Yes, well. I do plan to, but I specifically did want your reaction." There was that half smile again, hidden away as he bit his thumb. Janus blinked, again. "Why mine?" Patton didn't answer, instead showing the full skirt for the first time. Khaki tan ruffles with long straps to help hold it on. It was perfect for twirling in. Each strap had little white paws on it, perfect for Patton in every way.

"Logan would love it," he drawled a lie to avoid admitting anything. "He loves adorable things."

Suddenly, Patton said, "I'm rather hoping to manage a bit more than "adorable" this time, I think." Patton’s cheeks were warming, and he nipped his thumb, again, though Janus wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Unless... perhaps he was worried "adorable" would only be construed as feminine by society? That could be it. Another of a million reasons Janus hated the false idol that was Society was added to the pyre: in this case, making Patton unsure of how to safely express himself.

Janus settled more comfortably, with his back to the blinds to enjoy more of the heat of that Florida sun. Now that the heart had calmed down, he wasn't much paying attention to the little flickers of those eyes behind the glasses or when the more confident smile overtook the excited one. He was already planning some simple lie about disliking the colour, that would somehow be a complement, and would send Patton out to the other Sides with a needed mental boost, as Patton more solidly squared up in the area between Virgil's stairs and the couch.

He was expecting that the sweet, good, fatherly Morality, who wanted to help all his "kiddos" feel loved and confident, would take that skirt and maybe do a happy little spin. He very much was not expecting for Patton to repeat that mischievous little smile, toss the skirt into the air, and have not only it but his blue button up shirt replace his usual polo. Or to see blue sleeves rolled up past the elbows, accentuated by a happy little shimmy when Patton caught him staring, or the THREE undone buttons down from the collar.

And yes, those hips failed to lie in that skirt almost as much as Janus failed to remain one single colour. "It's very warm outside," he stammered suddenly, without prompting, desperately explaining how red the non scaled half of his face was as Patton's nose scrunched again in knowing delight. That little _gremlin_.

He knew exactly what he'd done and was unrepentant.

It was the shimmy that got him. The little wiggle from one foot to the other, shifting muscled shoulders under those bunched sleeves and making the skirt flick just so. “It’s winter,” Patton chirped pleasantly, not letting him lie. “It’s Florida,” Janus rebutted, but his eyes were locked on the unbuttoned shirt and no lies seemed forthcoming to explain that away.

“You didn’t say that you wanted my opinion,” he mumbled. Patton’s nose scrunched again as he giggled, a sound like pure joy made into sound. “I… may have had an alternative reason for showing you, first.” Janus was dry-mouthed as Patton walked closer, standing over him, shapely legs slightly apart. The skirt did a fine job accentuating the curve of the muscles of Patton’s calves -it was easy to forget he had those muscles, normally… But this view cemented them quite well.

Patton tucked his hands behind his back and leaned down, careful to avoid knocking the laptop, until he was looking the Deceitful Side right in his mismatched eyes. “It’s… really selfish, though.” Oh. It was awful ~~_very_ nice~~ hearing Patton use that word.

“I know nothing of selfishness.” Janus felt like he’d swallowed his forked tongue. Patton kissed his nose in response. Janus, in turn, looked more like a coral snake, with the red blush behind his yellowed scales. Without glancing down he closed his laptop and shoved it off his lap, to the side.

“Well… maybe you can teach me some of that self-care in… private.” Gently, Patton set his hand on Janus’ arm.

“I would never,” Janus lied, already following him.

Patton wriggled in delight.


End file.
